


Bruises and Blood

by SerialKillerQueen



Series: Difficult Girl(s) [14]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Child Abuse, Gen, Genderbending, Genderswap, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Minor Injuries, Neil sucks and we hate him, Protective Siblings, Siblings, do not copy to another site, injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-10-25 11:36:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 362
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20723576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerialKillerQueen/pseuds/SerialKillerQueen
Summary: Neil hurt Max, Billie sees the fall out.





	Bruises and Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Stranger Things and its characters do not belong to me. All rights go to their respective owners.

"I didn't... I didn't want to tell you right now, but I said I would."

Billie is struggling to control her temper as Susan's voice trails off.

Although the anger isn't really directed at her this time, it's at Neil.

Apparently the _bastard_ couldn't deal with not having his personal punching bag there and had done _exactly_ what she'd feared.

He'd turned on Max, and now Susan was calling her.

More surprisingly Susan was heading over to her apartment with her brother in tow.

More surprisingly than any of that was that Susan wasn't going to go back. _"He wants to see you, then I'm taking him to the hospital and... I'll talk to the police."_

Looks like she's finally figured out it isn't going to get better, only worse.

When Susan gets there (and she really hopes she didn't break her phone with how hard she slammed it onto the receiver) and Billie realizes her lip is bleeding she's startled to realize she's angry _for_ her, she's angry Neil hit her too. (Was she trying to get between him and Max?)

But when she sees Max she starts wondering if there's a place to hide a body in this hick town.

He's got an already developing black eye, his cheek is red, there's traces of blood below his nose, and when she glimpses his wrist she can see a hand shaped bruise on it. Apparently Neil didn't feel the need to "hold back" when the kid (the _fourteen year old child_) was a boy.

His knuckles look bloodied too, he'd fought back, and damn it all she's proud of him for that.

When she meets his eyes she sees the same anger she's seen in the mirror countless times reflecting back, the pain is there too, and maybe embarrassment.

It's what prompts her to say 'fuck it' to the still slightly present awkwardness between them and carefully pull him into a hug, he only hesitates a second before returning it, hands fisting in the back of her shirt.

Susan looks... relieved, she thinks.

Without letting go of him she turns to look at her.

"We should get you two cleaned up."

**Author's Note:**

> I really never planned on this happening but then I went and let Susan be in one fic and my muse decided she needed to stop being a crappy parent and also there needed to be a hint of angst and more importantly! Sibling hugging! At least Max is out now?
> 
> Check the mycast for faceclaim references!  
https://www.mycast.io/stories/p/mLM9vESd2bfJh7lY0s6o5g


End file.
